The Criterion Collection
Dec 7, 2010 — In 1981, it seemed to me that a new era of fantastic cinema was upon us.
Dec 7, 2010 — This exploration of how technology alters its users was not only prophetic but a personal artistic breakthrough for David Cronenberg.
Short Takes
Nov 30, 2010 — Some things those of us who work at the Criterion Collection are serious about: movies (maybe you knew that), getting the details right, and eating and drinking. So when the recipes for the absurdly delicious-looking food the Yokoyamas prepare in...
Nov 28, 2010 — “What we need are good old American—and that’s not to be confused with European—Art Films.” So declared the then twenty-nine-year-old beatnik Method actor Dennis Hopper in an unpublished 1965 manifesto. “The whole damn country’s one big real place to utilize...
Nov 25, 2010 — Five Easy Pieces is not a statement about America but a closely observed report. Or, perhaps, a confession.
Essays
Sep 21, 2010 — This is an expanded version of a piece that appeared in the original 2004 Criterion DVD release of Charade. Stanley Donen’s Charade occupies a special place among sixties thrillers. In an era of spy films resplendent with macho-driven eroticism (the...
Short Takes
Aug 20, 2010 — As we’ve mentioned, Jim Jarmusch will be a guest curator at this year’s All Tomorrow’s Parties, the independent music festival that takes place in Monticello, New York, over Labor Day weekend, September 3 through 5. It’s a festival that is...
Jul 27, 2010 — Americans got The Secret of the Grain. In France, they got La graine et le mulet (The Grain and the Mullet)—basically, “Couscous and Fish.” Depending on whose table you eat dinner at, the French title can seem as elemental as...
Jul 19, 2010 — “Why do you want to dance?” “Why do you want to live?” A question followed by another question stands at the beating heart of The Red Shoes. It’s an entirely rhetorical exchange, but it underscores the power and the mystery...
There’s more in the collection than just the spine-numbered titles. Check out the releases that include short films as supplemental treasures.